Last February/March, I began thinking about what I wanted to create for ArtPrize this year.
For me, my creative process begins with a thought which my mind looks at, stretches and pulls in many different directions. To help reign in the concept, I write the thought down and continue to write everything else that flows from that one thought. In this case, my thought was Bee Cause. What do I visually want to say about the bees? What cause … a cause for the bees or a cause for mankind or both? I look at it more, and write more down. I draw out my thoughts, literally. Bees. Honey. Honeycomb. Hives. Branches. Leaves. Flowers. Messages. Movement. Light. Sound. All of it I look at to consider.
I knew I wanted it to suspend from the ceiling. I knew I loved working with the decorative papers and wanted to incorporate those into the piece. I knew I wanted it as lightweight as possible. What could give my branch structures little weight but lots of strength? Ah yes, the bamboo splints Catherine and I used last year in our bird kites. But what formation of branches? Flowers, hmm, yes, crepe paper. What color pink, white, magenta? What about the flowers’ centers? Too crazy of a detail to dwell on now. Leaves! Yes the decorative paper and the roll of green sheer fabric would be perfect! But how, how am I going to make those leaves? Glue will add more weight … sewing? Possibly. Bees … that’s a tricky one … they need to be lightweight, moveable by breezes, some color, something to possibly reflect light … plastic? Yes, a thin plastic, like from the pastry shop or grocery store. Perfect! Messages … what do I want it to say, what words? Bee Cause … what?
What helps you to work out your thought process? I would love to hear from you!
